what do you think this is?

[aero86]

found this growing off the big parking lot behind my house.  never noticed it.  i dont know if its some kind of ornamental or what.  looks to have compound leaves.  1 to 1.5 inch long.  the bark appears to be smooth.

[Pat B]

Poison sumac!  Just kidding[I think] Can you post a pic of the plant?   Sumac comes to mind and not necessarily the poison variety.    Dana built a sumac bow a few winters ago. He shot it until it broke. Not the best bow wood but it would work in a pinch. 

[aero86]

ill try to get to get a decent pic of the trunk tomorrow.  thanks pat, now im paranoid.  ive never seen poison sumac before.  but apparently its not supposed to grow here, north east texas.  i couldl be wrong, and ive found the only tree here, ever.

[Pat B]

Is it growing alone(amongst other plants) or in a colony?

[aero86]

there was other trees and such growing along the parking lot.  ill have to go look tomorrow

[Far East Archer]

Ailanthus altissima ？？
Yes, it looks like rhus family also, though stem colour is reddish in some sumac tree and this seem green colour.

[aero86]

well, havent gone back to it yet, but i havent broken out with anything, so i guess we can rule out the poison sumac!  lol

[JW_Halverson]

DON'T rule out poison sumac.  It's in the same family as poison ivy, I think, and the urushinol oils in them can be really nasty to some people and not have an affect on another.  Everyone is born with some immunity to it, but that immunity breaks down with every added contact to the plant.  You might even carry it to someone that is highly allergic to it.  I've heard of people breaking out because they wore clothes that went thru a washing machine that someone else had washed clothing after camping. 

When I was a park ranger in North Dakota years back I used to pick it and show it to people warning them to never touch the stuff. 

[Pat B]

Looks like Ailanthus in my Audubon Tree Guide. "Tree of Heaven" ...invasive exotic, poison roots and weak branches(don't know if the wood is weak or the branch structure).

[SA]

i dont think its poison sumac, it has smooth leaves with white fruit tightly grouped.not toothed

[Pat B]

That was a joke son!    I knew it wasn't poison sumac.

[SA]

i knew you were.

[walkabout]

most sumac ive seen has very velvety bark. not sure though what that could be.also sumac has leaves sorta like a cherry tree, oval with a pointed tip but i think minus the serrations.

[aero86]

i figured you might be  joking pat, but, when your the one that has touched something that could be something like that, you start to second guess!  lol.  i was thinking tree of heaven as well when i was frantically searching.

and im definitely allergic to poison ivy.  i break out within a day or so of contact.  i had it on my face once.  THAT was a horrible experience for a 6th grader..

[jthompson1995]

It looks like it could be elderberry to me. There are some ornamental varieties that have very dark, almost black, leaves like you show.